The conditions were perfect with the mistral breeze that filled to around 13-17 knots filtering in across the picturesque Bay of Angels for Luna Rossa’s first full day of testing in the newly reconfigured AC75 that they nickname the ‘Silver Bullet.’
Marco Gradoni, the Youth America’s Cup champion got his first real test-out in the new configuration, joining skipper Peter Burling, and steering from the port side. Marco was replaced later in the session by double Olympic Nacra 17 World Champion, Ruggero Tita, and the team put in a mighty display, easing to flight and starting to hone down the tacks and gybes.
Interesting to note the scuff and skid marks down the usually absolutely pristine hull of the AC75 on the underside. The Italians are very much seeing this boat as a workhorse that is in development as they bed in the systems within the hull that will carry the huge rigging and control loads that these AC75’s run when in race trim. At this stage it’s all about development on this the 46th out of 47 days that Luna Rossa is allowed to sail under the Protocol rules this year.
Cameras and LiDar devices were everywhere. Umberto Molineris and Vittorio Bissaro, the two ace trimmers and flight controllers sat forward of the helms, were buried in the data whilst Maria Giubilei was again in the port 5th person seat and that could indicate that the Italians have gone a different way to Emirates Team New Zealand in having their 5th person on port. So far in Auckland we’ve seen Jo Aleh seated in the aft starboard pod.
In total the team were on the water for some four hours with 70 minutes of flight time. Valuable moments on the Bay of Angels for sure, for Luna Rossa – the hometown favourites for the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup.
RECON REPORT: Targeting their first proper sailing session, Luna Rossa rolled out at 10:25 while the offshore Maestrale was still blowing. The hull appeared to have lost a significant amount of paint. Foil cameras were still in place, while white strips had been added to both flap elements. Another camera was noted on the hull just before the transom section pointing downwards on the rudder and elevator.
The boat splashed by 11:15, with dock-out scheduled for 12:15. Sailors check followed, including some minor cant movements combined with mast rotation.
Once docked out, the following crew was on board: on port, Marco Gradoni (helm), Umberto Molineris (trim), and Maria Giubilei (5th); and on starboard, Peter Burling (helm), Vittorio Bissaro (trim), and Gigi Ugolini (6th).
At 12:20 the sea breeze had started to fill in, reaching 9–10 knots from 195°. The MN1-8 mainsail was paired with the J2-9 jib. After swinging the boat onto starboard tack, self-take-off was achieved at approximately 16–17 knots boat speed. All five take-offs of the day were executed autonomously on starboard tack.
A recurring observation throughout the day was the occasional and excessive immersion of the rudder during both downwind and upwind sailing, as well as during manoeuvres such as bear-aways and round-ups.
The first session focused on straight-line sailing and a limited number of manoeuvres. In terms of bulb-to-bulb transitions, approximately 9 seconds were recorded for gybes and 7 seconds for tacks. During gybes, Luna Rossa occasionally appeared to struggle with the catch on board up command exiting the manoeuvre. Windward cant was used to balance the boat on certain modes in a straight line.
As the sea breeze increased to 13 knots from 165°, the J2-9 was lowered and replaced by the J3-9. Despite the strengthening breeze, the sea state did not build significantly throughout the day and remained relatively flat.
The second session appeared to focus on manoeuvre execution, with tacks generally cleaner than gybes. During the third and fourth sessions, LR seemed to perform more aggressive bear-aways and round-ups, once again immersing the rudder excessively.
At 15:30, Marco Gradoni was replaced by Ruggero Tita on port helm, and the fifth session unfolded with the largest number of manoeuvres of the day.
The team docked in at 1640 concluding their day with approximately 70 minutes of foiling time and around 40 manoeuvres, only a few of which resulted in touch-and-go’s.
